Usually when I awake I go to my phone and check the latest news. One news alert I received was from the NY Times concerned ATRs. I clicked and when I saw the photograph and the caption “PS 157” I shuddered. This is not going to turn out well.

 "The New York Times cross-referenced two sets of records: the Education Department’s Excessed Staff Selection System, which lists available staff and openings in the system"

"In a system in which only 1 percent of teachers earn the lowest possible ratings, of ineffective or unsatisfactory, 12 percent of the teachers who were in the Absent Teacher Reserve at the end of the last school year had received one of those ratings in 2015-16."

Here it is in all its glory. The decision against Francis Blake by the arbitrator Alan Berg. DR Mychael Willon is mentioned as is Donald Conyers as two upstanding human beings. The last two pages include the reversal of Francis' penalty to a five thousand dollar fine and two months suspension. FYI, Francis is appealing the decision.

Oh one more thing. I redacted Francis' file number and SS #. However, other sentences in the first few pages will look redacted but they are not. I used too dark a highlighter on my copy and it came out too dark. My apologies.


Francis

Everyone should read this very carefully. Especially our new UFT Reichsführer, Mike Mulgrew.

As was written on August 13, Francis Blake a teacher at PS 157 in the Bronx was found guilty of incompetence and suspended two months without pay. He was also fined five thousand dollars for dozing off for ninety seconds, but more on that in a bit.

But the rape of Francis Blake's career continues. Today Francis got an amended finding by arbitrator Alan Berg. Mr Berg rescinded the suspension and instead now is fining Francis two months pay for incompetency which comes to about $13, 497. This is in addition to the five thousand dollars Francis has been fined for the ninety second snooze.

One of the incompetence charges against Francis stems from a social studies lesson that he did with a kindergarten class in January 2007. Francis had a pre-observation meeting with Assistant Principal Beverly Andrews. The lesson was to be on police officers. Ms Andrews approved the book Francis was to read to the class, "A Day With Police Officers," by Jan Kottke.

Francis performed the lesson verbatim that Beverly Andrews approved. But Francis received an unsatisfactory rating for the lesson. One of the discrepancies Ms Andrews pointed out was the book was not appropriate for the lesson. WHAT? Yes, you are right. Ms Andrews already approved the book. How can this be? Ms Andrews cited that the print was too small.

Here is a page from that book:

Looks just fine to me. So what be the problem Ms Andrews?

Now as far as the snoozing. In September 2006 Francis was asked to go to a special ed. class to help with dismissal. The para for that class had been receiving special treatment in being allowed to leave school early by Principal Ramona Duran to get to her undergrad classes. Francis was in no way supervising the class, the teacher was already there, nor was he giving a lesson. Francis sat down in the rocking chair and dozed for ninety seconds. He was woken up by AP Beverly Andrews.

Now in no way is Francis' actions being condoned. Shit happens. The day before Francis injured his back. He had never done anything like this before or since. He apologized profusely the following day. Yet, Principal Ramona Duran chose to put a letter in his file when she could have very well have given him a counseling memo. She was out to nail him. Plain and simple.

Why did the arbitrator decide to come down so hard on Francis? He owned up to the dozing off. Others, and the arbitrator admitted it, have continually lied and offered false and perjured testimony. Is that not right Ramona Duran? It is not like Francis committed some lewd and lascivious act in an adult book store a la DR Mychael Willon. So what gives here?

Francis is out over $18,000 becuase of a vindictive, lying principal. He is out $18,000 because of some LIS who can't wait till he gets home to pleasure himself and has a false doctorate choosing to continue to show a lack of character and testify falsely against Francis.

He is out over $18,000 because the system and those that run it are out of control.

This is going to be the first a series of posts about the shenanigans of Ramona Duran, principal at PS 157 in her railroading of Francis Blake social studies teacher. Francis was brought up on incompetency charges and has spent the last two years in the rubber room. Francis went through his 3020a hearing and was found guilty. He has been suspended for two months and has been ordered to pay a five thousand dollar fine. Ramona Duran perjured herself throughout his trial, admitted to it and yet the arbitrator found her lies to be credible because as he said in his findings, "she didn't mean to lie." That is akin to me farting in front of Queen Elizabeth. I didn't mean to, but I did.

But how does DR Mychael Willon play into this? Seems DR Willon whilst LIS of region 9 in 2006 observed along with Ms Duran Francis Blake's lesson. Yes, it was an observation, but aren't administrators supposed to stay for the entire lesson? Not in this case. DR Willon and Ms Duran both left with approximately 20 minutes left in the lesson. Neither ever saw the completion. Never saw the students work in groups or the end product.

I bring this up because this lesson was rated unsatisfactory by Ms Duran and she testified to it in the trial of Francis Blake. Also, DR Willon testified in the trial and concurred with Ms Duran. So is that the truth and nothing but the truth DR Willon? Does DR Willon have a difficult time with the truth and reality? Why am I putting the abbreviation for Doctor in bold?

It seems that DR Willon does have a difficult time with truth and reality. In 2006, while DR Willon was still an LIS, the Rutland (VT) Herald wrote:

Mychael Willon, of Owego, N.Y., withdrew his candidacy in the wake of questions concerning his doctoral degree, which came from a diploma mill in Louisiana closed down by federal authorities in 1995.

It goes on to say:

While Willon has a lengthy and often meritorious career in education as a teacher and administrator, LaSalle University in Louisiana, where he obtained his doctorate online in 1993, does not.

The founder, James Virdamon Kirk, was sentenced to five years in jail for mail fraud.

The Louisiana institution has nothing to do with the accredited Catholic college of the same name in Philadelphia.

Willon said in published reports he did not know the university was a diploma mill.

"I enrolled in that university believing it was a creditable institution and had no idea that the individual in charge of the school would end up involved in an investigation," he said.

Seems that DR Willon does have a reality problem. When he was hired from Owego NY did he present himself to the DOE as a Doctor? Does the DOE know now in 2009 that DR Willon who just happens to be Director of the Principal Candidate Pool (whatever that means) is a liar and a cheat?

It's funny when reading that DR Willon was not aware in 2006 that LaSalle University of Louisiana was not a diploma mill when LaSalle was shut down, Thomas James Kirk aka, Thomas McPherson was indicted for fraud in 1996 and spent five years in prison.

Is it not a felony or at least a misdemeanor to use false documents and to present yourself as having a diploma and/or doctorate? Since it took DR Willon until 2006 to "come clean" how long was he using the PhD ruse? At least until he got caught in 2006. The Owego school district and the DOE should look into this immediately.